2012
West Africa - Sahel
An estimated 18 million men, women and children across the Sahel region of West Africa are at risk of going hungry without emergency assistance this year.
Insufficient rain and poor harvests have led to severe food shortages, made worse by pockets of conflict which have forced people to flee their homes. A fast, early humanitarian response is needed to prevent a repeat of the 2011 Horn of Africa crisis.
Britain was swift to respond to this crisis and is working with a number of humanitarian partners to reach 1.6 million people across the Sahel region. This includes:
- Food for over 250,000 people for six months;
- Improved nutrition for 267,000 children and women (including therapeutic treatment to save the lives of over 110,000 severely malnourished children under 5 years old) and;
- Livelihoods support, including the provision of seeds and tools, animal food and animal vaccinations, to over 1.1 million people.
More information:
West Africa: Lifesaving aid for a further 200,000 people
West Africa: Minister sees food aid saving lives in Sahel
Read the latest on the announcement of support to West Africa
Eyewitness report: livestock farmers face the hunger season in Chad
2011
The Horn of Africa
East Africa is currently experiencing a major humanitarian crisis due to drought. More than 12 million people are in need of emergency relief. Britain is providing lifesaving aid for more than three million of these people, across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, and is now calling on more countries to follow its lead and step up their help for the crisis.
Across the region, UK aid is delivering:
- Ethiopia: Food aid for 1.36 million people facing starvation, plus shelter, water and medical help for 100,000 people in the Dolo Ado refugee camps
- Somalia: Help for 800,000 people including food rations, treatment for malnourished children and farming supplies to help people grow food. Figures show that half of those who have died during the famine in Somalia are children
- Kenya: Support for 200,000 people with treatment for malnourished children and mothers. In addition, we are helping 130,000 refugees in the Dadaab refugee camp with safe water, food and basic healthcare.
Get the latest updates on our response to the situation in East Africa
Conflict in Libya
Since February 2011, DFID has been actively engaged in monitoring the protracted humanitarian crisis in Libya. Having sent out a team in February to assess the need for emergency supplies, a relief flight carrying UK aid supplies from the British Government was dispatched, along with humanitarian and stabilization teams, to provide support for thousands of people who crossed the border between Libya and Tunisia in order to escape the conflict.
We have provided aid in the form of tents and blankets in order to provide shelter, and have also funded several emergency flights, allowing for evacuation of third-country nationals, easing the desperate humanitarian situation at the Libya border camps.
The British Government has also supported the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is providing basic necessities support for up to 100,000 people and medical supplies and treatment to 3,000 people affected by the ongoing fighting.
We have also provided vital aid to the besieged city of Misrata, in the form of medicine, high energy protein biscuits, water purification and hygiene kits.
Furthermore, the department has supported mine clearance work in Misrata, Benghazi and other affected areas to help ensure the safety of 200,000 people caught up in the conflict.
Get the latest updates on the humanitarian situation in Libya
Japanese earthquake and tsunami
On 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred off the north-east coast of Japan. Tsunami waves up to 40 metres high travelled up to ten kilometres in-land, resulting in the loss of over 10,000 lives and massive damage to infrastructure.
Shortly after the Japanese Government announced a plea for international aid, the UK dispatched 59 fire search and rescue specialists and a medical team to Japan, as part of the initial UK response to support the damaged country.
Later that month, DFID allocated £245,500 for the provision of 100 tonnes of bottled water in response to a shortage of drinking water in the area. DFID continues to work closely with the Japanese Government, providing expertise in nuclear safety and other areas.
To find out more click here
2010
Pakistan monsoon floods
In July 2010 Pakistan was hit by one of the largest natural disasters the world has ever seen. A staggering 14 million people were forced to flee their homes when ten years worth of rain fell in one week. Thousands of schools were destroyed, and agriculture was wiped out across vast areas of the country.
The UK Government committed £134 million in response to the UN Pakistan floods appeal. In addition, a £10 million bridge-building project was brought forward to replace some of the bridges destroyed, re-opening vital transport links.
Through working with trusted aid agencies and partners, UK aid provided a range of support, including safe drinking water to 2.5 million people, tents and shelter for some 1.3 million people, and food packages for more than one million people in flood affected areas.
We also funded the distribution of agricultural necessities, such as wheat and vegetable seeds, in order to catalyze the long-term restoration of the country. Health education has also been part of DFID's agenda, helping one million people to reduce their chances of contracting fatal illnesses. Further aid includes skills training, provision of agricultural tools, and the rebuilding of schools and bridges.
See the difference UK aid has made in one year
Haiti earthquake
On 10 January 2010, a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The scale of the tragedy was considerable: an estimated 222,000 dead, more than 300,000 seriously injured, 1.5 million people in need of emergency shelter.
Within an hour of receiving reports about the earthquake, DFID's humanitarian response team was helping to co-ordinate relief efforts, working around the clock over the following days and weeks. The UK Government gave £20 million in emergency support which included a 64 person emergency search and rescue team and funding to directly help more than 380,000 people get access to food, clean water and medical care.
In October 2010 cholera broke out in the area and quickly became the most critical health challenge the country had faced since the January earthquake. In response, the British Government funded 192 doctors, 576 nurses and 200 support staff from the region to set up 16 major cholera treatment centres and 21 subsidiary cholera treatment units, helping to fight the worsening cholera epidemic and prevent the infection from spreading across the region. Medical teams capable of treating several thousands of cholera victims were provided by the Pan American Health Organization through a £2 million grant.
Find out more about how we helped in Haiti